Pumpkin Bread

Now it’s time to get on to a Pumpkin Loaf, or bread, because what kind of Pumpkin Week would it be if I didn’t have a great pumpkin loaf as well? This recipe makes two loaves, which was perfect for my picky-pants husband, one was plain and the other was loaded with raisins and nuts for us normal people who like it that way.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of pumpkin

4 eggs

1/2 cup of oil

1/2 cup of applesauce

1/3 cup of water

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 cups of white sugar

3 1/2 cup of flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp ginger

Kick the tires and light the fires to 350 degrees.

Now, if you are a sharp cookie, you will notice that I don’t have oil in my picture above. I changed my mind after taking it and starting the recipe, and decided that I wasn’t willing to risk screwing up such a huge recipe by omitting ALL the oil, so I went half and half. Which turned out absolutely perfect, and you can’t even tell you used applesauce for half of it. I would honestly think that a full cup of oil would be so greasy in this recipe, and I wouldn’t recommend it at all. If you are brave you can use all applesauce, but the texture does change somewhat.

Mix your eggs, pumpkin,oil and applesauce in a large mixing bowl.

Mix in your sugars.

In another smaller bowl, whisk together all your dry ingredients.

Add the wet to the dry, and try not to over mix, because we are baking with persnickety pumpkin, after all, and nothing gets tougher when over mixed than pumpkin does.

Grease and flour two loaf pans. I poured half of my plain mix into one, then added a cup of raisins to the remaining half. I then poured it into the pan, and put toasted walnuts on top, pressing the walnuts into the batter so they stick on top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 60 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Now, there is a reason why the picture of the bread only shows the plain one. The one with raisins and nuts was gobbled up. That’s the only word for it; gobbled. It came out of the oven, and by the time my Dad (whom I made this for in the first place, he loves his raisins and nuts) my brother, myself and my two kids attacked it, there were only crumbs remaining. My picky husband had the plain one, and though he can usually put paid to a baked loaf pretty well, there was enough to take a feature picture of.

I bake, cook, homeschool my two children, develop recipes & author this blog all at home in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, while also working on my first cookbook, all of which should explain my love of fancy cocktails. And bourbon. Always bourbon.